Electronic equipment data center or co-location facility designs and methods of making and using the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to electronic equipment data center or co-location facility designs and methods of making and using the same in an environmentally aware manner, and generally provides apparatus and methods for using novel support bracket structures, and thermal panels associated with the same, that allow for distinct partitioning of air flowing in hot aisles and cold aisles, as well as for holding wiring above cabinets that are used to store electronic equipment in the facility.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claim priority to U.S. Provisional Appln. No.60/944,082 filed Jun. 14, 2007 entitled “Electronic Equipment DataCenter or Co-Location Facility Designs and Methods of Making and Usingthe Same,” which application is expressly incorporated by referenceherein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electronic equipment data center orco-location facility designs and methods of making and using the same inan environmentally aware manner.

BACKGROUND

Data centers and server co-location facilities are well-known. In suchfacilities, rows of electronics equipment, such as servers, typicallyowned by different entities, are stored. In many facilities, cabinetsare used in which different electronics equipment is stored, so thatonly the owners of that equipment, and potentially the facilityoperator, have access therein. In many instances, the owner of thefacilities manages the installation and removal of servers within thefacility, and is responsible for maintaining utility services that areneeded for the servers to operate properly. These utility servicestypically include providing electrical power for operation of theservers, providing telecommunications ports that allow the servers toconnect to transmission grids that are typically owned bytelecommunication carriers, and providing air-conditioning services thatmaintain temperatures in the facility at sufficiently low levels forreliable operation.

There are some well-known common aspects to the designs of thesefacilities. For example, it is known to have the electronic equipmentplaced into rows, and further to have parallel rows of equipmentconfigured back-to back so that each row of equipment generally forcesthe heat from the electronic equipment toward a similar area, known as ahot aisle, as that aisle generally contains warmer air that results fromthe forced heat from the electronics equipment. In the front of theequipment is thus established a cold aisle.

There are different systems for attempting to collect hot air thatresults from the electronics equipment, cooling that hot air, and thenintroducing cool air to the electronics equipment. Theseair-conditioning systems also must co-exist with power andcommunications wiring for the electronics equipment. Systems in whichthe electronics equipment is raised above the floor are well-known, asinstalling the communications wiring from below the equipment has beenperceived to offer certain advantages. Routing wiring without raisedfloors is also known—though not with systematic separation of power anddata as described herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to electronic equipment data center orco-location facility designs and methods of making and using the same inan environmentally aware manner.

The present invention generally provides apparatus and methods for usingnovel support bracket structures, and thermal panels associated with thesame, that allow for distinct partitioning of air flowing in hot aislesand cold aisles, as well as for holding wiring above cabinets that areused to store electronic equipment in the facility.

In one aspect, the present invention provides a facility for maintainingelectronic equipment disposed in a plurality of cage cabinets at a cooltemperature using a plurality of air conditioning units, the cagecabinets positioned in at least one row so that the electronic equipmentdisposed therein emit heated air in a predetermined direction from thecage cabinets to establish a hot aisle, and an opposite side of the rowestablishing a cold aisle, the plurality of air conditioning unitsreceiving heated air and emitting cooled air. In this aspect, thefacility comprises:

-   -   a floor on which the plurality of cage cabinets are disposed in        the at least one row, the floor being within a space that has        walls that define a room;    -   a plurality of support brackets disposed along the row, so that        a portion of each of the support bracket is disposed above the        plurality of cage cabinets;    -   a thermal shield supported by the at least some of the plurality        of support brackets, the thermal shield providing a contiguous        wall around a hot air area above the at least one row of        electronic cabinets to define a warm exhaust channel that traps        the heated air within the enclosure area and causes        substantially all the heated air within the enclosure area to        rise up within the warm exhaust channel;    -   a space separated from the room in which the plurality of air        conditioning units are disposed;    -   a warm air escape channel disposed above the warm exhaust        channel, the warm air escape channel feeding the heated air to        the plurality of air conditioning units; and    -   a cool air channel that connects between the air conditioning        system and the cold aisle, the cool air channel delivering cool        air from the plurality of air conditioning units to the cool        aisle.

In another aspect, the invention provides an apparatus for separatingwarm air from cooler air, the warmer air being produced within anenclosure area bounded by a plurality of cage cabinets positioned sothat electronic equipment disposed therein emit heated air into theenclosure area, the cage cabinets positioned in at least one row so thatthe electronic equipment disposed therein emit heated air from in eachin a predetermined direction from the cage cabinets to establish a hotaisle, and an opposite side of the row establishing a cold aisle. Inthis aspect, the apparatus comprises:

-   -   a plurality of support brackets disposed along the row, so that        a portion of each of the support bracket is disposed above the        plurality of cage cabinets; and    -   a thermal shield supported by the at least some of the plurality        of support brackets, the thermal shield providing a contiguous        wall around a hot air area above the at least one row of        electronic cabinets to define a warm exhaust channel that traps        the heated air within the enclosure area and causes        substantially all the heated air within the enclosure area to        rise up within the warm exhaust channel.

In another aspect, the plurality of support brackets according to theinvention may each further include a plurality of tiered ladder racksupports having ladder racks thereover to establish a plurality ofdifferent tiers outside the contiguous wall, so that each of thedifferent tiers is adapted to hold a different type of transmission linethat is substantially shielded from the heated air.

In a further aspect, the present invention includes a method of forminga facility for housing electrical equipment. This aspect of theinvention comprises the steps of:

-   -   determining a location for at least a one row of cage cabinets        that will house the electrical equipment, the at least one row        of cage cabinets defining an enclosure area so that electronic        equipment disposed within the cabinets will emit heated air in a        predetermined direction from the electronic cabinets toward the        enclosure area;    -   mounting a plurality of support brackets in relation to the row        of cage cabinets so that at least a portion of each of the        support brackets is disposed above the cage cabinets; and    -   mounting a contiguous wall around the enclosure area above the        cage cabinets using the support brackets to define the warm        exhaust channel so that that substantially all warm air within        the enclosure area rises up within the warm exhaust channel; and    -   distributing wiring to at least some of the cage cabinets, the        step of distributing separating each of a plurality of different        types of wiring on each of a plurality of different ladder        racks, each of the plurality of different ladder racks being        mounted on a ladder rack support that connects to at least some        of the plurality of support brackets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects and features of the present invention willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of thefollowing description of specific embodiments of the invention inconjunction with the accompanying figures, wherein:

FIG. 1(a) illustrates a floor design used in a data center orco-location facility according to the present invention.

FIG. 1(b) illustrates floor-based components disposed over the floordesign according to the present invention.

FIG. 1(c) illustrates a perspective cut-away view along line c-c fromFIG. 1(a) of FIG. 1(a) according to the present invention.

FIGS. 2(a)-(c) illustrate various cut-away perspective views of thethermal compartmentalization and cable and conduit routing systemaccording to the present invention.

FIGS. 3(a) and (b) illustrate modular thermal shields used in thethermal compartmentalization and cable and conduit routing systemaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates illustrate a telecommunication bracket used in thethermal compartmentalization and cable and conduit routing systemaccording to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides data center or co-location facilitydesigns and methods of making and using the same. The data center orco-location facility designs have certain features that will be apparentherein and which allow many advantages in terms of efficient use ofspace, efficient modular structures that allow for efficiency in theset-up of co-location facility and the set-up of the electronicsequipment in the facility, as well as efficient air-conditioning withinthe facility. Each of these features has aspects that are distinct ontheir own, and combinations of these features also exist that are alsounique.

FIG. 1(a) illustrates a floor design used in a data center orco-location facility according to the present invention. The preferredembodiment discussed herein uses parallel rows of equipment configuredback-to back so that each row of equipment generally forces the heatfrom the electronic equipment towards a hot aisle, thus alsoestablishing a cold aisle in the front of the equipment. The cold aislesin FIG. 1(a) are illustrated at the dotted line block 60, wherein thehot aisles are illustrated at the dotted line block 62. One feature ofthe present invention is the provision for marking the floor 50 toexplicitly show the various areas of the facility. As illustrated, thehot aisle 62 has a central area 52 that is tiled, painted, taped orotherwise marked to indicate that it is center area of the hot aisle 62.The typical dimensions of the central area 52 are typically in the rangeof 2′-4′ across the width, with a row length corresponding to the numberof electronic cabinets in the row. Marking with tiles is preferable asthe marking will last, and tiles that are red in color, corresponding tothe generation of heat, have been found preferable. Around this centerarea 52 is a perimeter area 54, over which the cabinets are installed.This perimeter area 54 is marked in another manner, such as using a greytile that is different in color from the center area 52. Around theperimeter area 54 is an outside area 56, which is marked in yet adifferent manner, such as using a light grey tile. The placement ofthese markings for areas 52, 54 and 56 on the floor of the facility,preferably prior to moving any equipment onto the floor, allows for avisual correspondence on the floor of the various hot and cold aisles.In particular, when installing cabinets over the perimeter 54 are, thearea that is for the front of the cabinet that will face the cold aisle,and thus the area for the back of the cabinet for the hot aisle, isreadily apparent.

FIG. 1(b) illustrates floor-based components disposed over the floordesign of the co-location facility according to the present invention.FIG. 1(b) also shows additional area of the floor, which in thisembodiment is provided to illustrate interaction of the electronicsequipment with the evaporators of the air conditioning units. In theembodiment described with respect to FIG. 1(b), certain features areincluded so that conventional equipment, particularly conventional airconditioning equipment, can effectively be used while still creating thedesired air flow patterns of the present invention as described herein.

Before describing the components in FIG. 1(b), an aspect of the presentinvention is to isolate the hot air exhaust from the areas that requirecooling as much as possible, and to also create air flows in which theair moves through the exhaust system, into the air conditioning system,through the air conditioning ducts and out to the cool equipment in avery rapid manner. In particular, the amount of circulation establishedaccording to the present invention moves air at a volume such that theentire volume of air in the facility recirculates at least once every 10minutes, preferably once every 5 minutes, and for maximum cooling onceevery minute. It has been found that this amount of recirculation, incombination with the air flows established by the present invention,considerably reduce the temperature in the facility in anenvironmentally efficient manner, thus saving energy, as describedherein.

Cabinets 110 shown in FIG. 1(b) are placed generally over the sides ofthe perimeter 54 as described, in rows, which cabinets are formed ascages in order to allow air to flow through them. Different rows arethus shown with cabinets 110(a-f), with each letter indicating adifferent row. Also included within the rows are telecommunicationsequipment 170 to which the electronics equipment in each of the cabinets110 connect as described further herein, as well as power equipment 180that is used to supply power along wires to the electronics equipment ineach of the cabinets 110 connect as described further herein. Airconditioning units include the evaporator units 120 (1-6) that are shownbeing physically separated by some type of barrier from the area 56described previously with respect to FIG. 1(a). The condenser units ofthe air conditioning system that receive the warmed refrigerant/wateralong lines 122 and are disposed outside the walls of the facility arenot shown. This physical separation is implemented in order to establishwarm exhaust channel area 240 from the physical space, which warm airarea connects to a separate warm air area in the ceiling and allow thewarm air to flow into the exhaust channel area 240 and enter into intakeducts of evaporator air conditioning equipment 120, as will bedescribed. This feature allows the usage of conventional evaporator airconditioning equipment that has air intakes at the bottom of the unit,as well as allows for usage of different air conditioning equipmenttypes, while still maintaining an efficient airflow throughout theentire facility.

FIG. 1(c) illustrates a perspective cut-away view along line c-c fromFIG. 1(a) of the FIG. 1(a) co-location facility according to the presentinvention. Additionally illustrated are the false ceiling 140 and theactual ceiling 150, which have a gap that is preferably at least 1.5-3feet and advantageously at least 15 feet, as the higher the ceiling themore the warm air rises (and thus also stays further away from theequipment in the cabinets 110). The false ceiling 140 is preferably madeof tiles that can be inserted into a suspended ceiling as is known,which tiles preferably have are drywall vinyl tiles, which exhibit agreater mass than many conventional tiles. Also shown are arrows thatillustrate the air flow being centrally lifted upward from the warmexhaust channel area 240 to the area between the false ceiling 140 andthe actual ceiling 150, and the flow within the ceiling toward the warmexhaust channel area 240, and then downward into the warm exhaustchannel area 240 with the wall 130 separating the area 56 and the warmexhaust channel area 240. Also shown are arrows that take cold air fromthe cold air ducts 310 and insert the air into the cold aisles 60.

Though the arrows in the drawing are directed straight downward, thevents themselves can be adjusted to allow for directional downward flowat various angles. In a preferred embodiment, each of the vents have aremote controlled actuator that allows for the offsite control of thevents, both in terms of direction and volume of air let out of eachvent. This allows precise control such that if a particular area isrunning hot, more cold air can be directed thereto, and this can bedetected (using detectors not shown), and then adjusted for offsite.

FIGS. 2(a)-(c) illustrate various cut-away perspective views of thethermal compartmentalization and cable and conduit routing systemaccording to the present invention. In particular, FIG. 2(a) illustratesa cut away view of a portion of the warm exhaust channel area 240, whichrests on top of the cabinets 110, and is formed of a plurality of thethermal shields 400 and 450, which are modular in construction and willbe described further hereinafter. Also illustrated are shield brackets500 that are mounted on top of the cabinets 110, and provide for themounting of the shields 400 and 450, as well as an area on top of thecabinets 110 to run power and telecommunications cables, as will bedescribed further herein.

Before describing the cabling, FIG. 2(b) and FIG. 4 illustrate theshield bracket 500, which is made of structurally sound materials, suchas steel with a welded construction of the various parts as described,molded plastic, or other materials. Ladder rack supports 510, 520, 530,540 and 550 are attached to back vertical support 502 of the shield andcabling support bracket 500 and used to allow ladder racks 610, 620,630, 640, and 650 respectively, placed thereover as shown. The ladderracks are intended to allow for a segregation of data and electricalpower, and therefore an easier time not only during assembly, butsubsequent repair. The ladder racks are attached to the ladder racksupports using support straps shown in FIG. 4, which are typically astandard “j” hook or a variant thereof. As also illustrated in FIG. 4, asupport beams structure 506 provides extra support to the ladder rack,and the holes 508 are used to secure the shields 400 and 450 thereto.Horizontal support plate 504 is used to support the bracket 500 on thecabinets 110.

With respect to the cabling and conduit, these are used to provideelectrical power and data to the various servers in the facility.Conduit, also typically referred to as wiring, is used to provideelectricity. Cabling is used to provide data. In this system, it ispreferable to keep the electrical power and the data signals separated.

Within the system, ladder rack 610 is used for data cabling on the coldaisle side of the thermal shields 400. Ladder rack 620 is used for anA-source power conduit (for distribution of 110-480 volt power) on thecold aisle side of the thermal shields 400. Ladder rack 630 is used forB-source power conduit (for distribution of 110-480 volt power), whichis preferably entirely independent of A-source power conduit, on thecold aisle side of the thermal shields 400. Ladder rack 640 is used formiscellaneous cabling on the cold aisle side of the thermal shields 400.Ladder rack 650 is used for data cabling on the hot aisle side of thethermal shields 400. Each ladder rack can also be used for differentpurposes and still be within the scope of the present invention.

FIGS. 3(a) and (b) illustrate modular thermal shields 400 and 450,respectively, used in the thermal compartmentalization and cabling andconduit routing system according to the present invention. Both shields400 and 450 are made of a structurally sound material, including but notlimited to steel, a composite, or a plastic, and if a plastic, one thatpreferably has an air space between a front piece of plastic and a backpiece of plastic for an individual shield 400. Shield 400 includes athrough-hole 410 that allows for certain cabling, if needed, to runbetween the hot and cold aisle areas, through the shield 400. Athrough-hole cover (not shown) is preferably used to substantially closethe hole to prevent airflow therethrough. Shield 450 has a 90 degreeangle that allows the fabrication of corners.

It should be appreciated that the construction of the cabinets, theshields 400 and 450, and the shield supports 500 are all uniform andmodular, which allows for the efficient set-up of the facility, as wellas efficient repairs if needed.

Other different embodiments of data center or co-location facilitiesaccording to the present invention also exist. For example, while thefalse ceiling 140 is preferred, many advantageous aspects of the presentinvention can be achieved without it, though its presence substantiallyimproves airflow. Furthermore, the evaporation units for the airconditioning system can also be located outside the facility, in whichcase the chamber 240 is not needed, but hot air from the ceiling can bedelivered to evaporation units that are disposed above the ceiling,which is more efficient in that it allows the warm air to rise. If thecomplete air conditioning equipment is located outside, including theevaporators, the refrigerant/water lines 122 that are used to exchangethe refrigerant/water if the evaporators are disposed inside thefacility is not needed, which provides another degree of safety to theequipment therein.

It is noted that aspects of the present invention described herein canbe implemented when renovating an existing facility, and as such not allof the features of the present invention are necessarily used.

Although the present invention has been particularly described withreference to embodiments thereof, it should be readily apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art that various changes, modifications andsubstitutes are intended within the form and details thereof, withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, itwill be appreciated that in numerous instances some features of theinvention will be employed without a corresponding use of otherfeatures. Further, those skilled in the art will understand thatvariations can be made in the number and arrangement of componentsillustrated in the above figures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A facility for maintaining electronic equipmentdisposed in at least one cluster of cage cabinets at a cool temperatureusing a plurality of air conditioning units, the at least one cluster ofcage cabinets positioned in a back-to-back configuration in twoseparated rows so that the electronic equipment disposed therein emitheated air in a predetermined direction from the cage cabinets toestablish a hot aisle enclosure area between the two separated rows ofcage cabinets, and an opposite side of the cage cabinets eachestablishing a cold aisle, the plurality of air conditioning unitsreceiving heated air and emitting cooled air, the facility comprising: afloor on which the plurality of cage cabinets are disposed, wherein theat least one cluster of cage cabinets is disposed in the two separatedrows to establish the hot aisle enclosure area, the floor being within aspace that has walls that define a room; a plurality of support bracketsdisposed along each of the two rows of the at least one cluster of cagecabinets, so that a portion of each of the support bracket is disposedabove the at least one cluster of cage cabinets; a thermal shieldsupported by the portion of at least some of the plurality of supportbrackets, the thermal shield providing a contiguous wall around a hotair area above the hot aisle enclosure area at a height above the twoseparated rows of cage cabinets to define a warm exhaust channel thattraps the heated air within the hot aisle enclosure area and causessubstantially all the heated air within the hot aisle enclosure area torise up within the warm exhaust channel, wherein the contiguous wallfully surrounds the hot aisle enclosure area from above the at least onecluster of cage cabinets; a warm air escape channel disposed above thewarm exhaust channel, the warm air escape channel feeding the heated airto the plurality of air conditioning units, wherein the warm air escapechannel is bounded at a bottom by a ceiling that provides a barrier toprevent the heated air from passing therebelow, wherein an openingexists in the ceiling corresponding to the warm exhaust channel throughwhich the heated air passes, and wherein a top edge of the thermalshield extends from the ceiling to the cage cabinets to further preventthe heated air from escaping; and a cool air channel that connectsbetween the air conditioning system and the cold aisle, the cool airchannel delivering cool air from the plurality of air conditioning unitsto the cool aisle.
 2. The facility according to claim 1 wherein the warmair escape channel is further bounded at a top by an upper ceiling, andwherein a distance between the upper ceiling and the ceiling is 15 feet.3. The facility according to claim 1 further including marking on thefloor, the marking including a central area marking that corresponds tothe hot aisle enclosure area and a perimeter area marking thatcorresponds to a position over which the at least one cluster of cagecabinets are installed.
 4. The facility according to claim 3 wherein themarking further includes an outer area marking that surrounds theperimeter area marking.
 5. The facility according to claim 4 wherein thecentral area marking is one color; the perimeter area marking is anothercolor different from the one color, and the outer area marking is afurther color that is different from the one color and the anothercolor.
 6. The facility according to claim 1 wherein the plurality ofsupport brackets each further include a plurality of tiered ladder racksupports having ladder racks thereover disposed above each of the twoseparated rows of cage cabinets to establish a plurality of differenttiers outside the contiguous wall, so that each of the different tiersis adapted to hold a different type of transmission line that issubstantially shielded from the heated air, and wherein the plurality ofsupport brackets are connected to and supported by the at least onecluster of cage cabinets.
 7. The facility according to claim 1, whereinthe thermal shield is formed from a plurality of thermal shield platesthat are each supported by a thermal shield support beam disposed on atleast some of the plurality of support brackets, and wherein the atleast some of the plurality of support brackets are connected to andsupported by the at least one cluster of cage cabinets.
 8. The facilityaccording to claim 7 wherein at least some of the thermal shields have ahole disposed therein that allows for the passage of wires therethroughwhile being sufficiently small to only allow a small amount of airflowto pass therethrough.
 9. The facility according to claim 1, wherein thethermal shield is formed from a plurality of thermal shield plates thatare each supported by a thermal shield support beam disposed on at leastsome of the plurality of support brackets.
 10. The facility according toclaim 1, wherein the at least one cluster is a plurality of clusters,each of the plurality of clusters being configured as the at least onecluster, and wherein the hot aisle enclosure area and the cold aisle ofat least some of the plurality of clusters are aligned.
 11. The facilityaccording to claim 10 further including marking on the floor, themarking including a central area marking that corresponds to the hotaisle enclosure area for each of the plurality of clusters of cagecabinets and a perimeter area marking that corresponds to a positionover which the cage cabinets for each of the plurality of clusters areinstalled.
 12. The facility according to claim 11 wherein the markingfurther includes an outer area marking that surrounds the perimeter areamarking.
 13. The facility according to claim 12 wherein the central areamarking is one color; the perimeter area marking is another colordifferent from the one color, and the outer area marking is a furthercolor that is different from the one color and the another color. 14.The facility according to claim 10 wherein the plurality of supportbrackets each further include a plurality of tiered ladder rack supportshaving ladder racks thereover disposed above each of the two separatedrows of cage cabinets for each of the plurality of clusters to establisha plurality of different tiers outside the contiguous wall, so that eachof the different tiers is adapted to hold a different type oftransmission line that is substantially shielded from the heated air,and wherein the plurality of support brackets are connected to andsupported by the cage cabinets of the associated cluster.
 15. Thefacility according to claim 14, wherein the thermal shield is formedfrom a plurality of thermal shield plates that are each supported by athermal shield support beam disposed on at least some of the pluralityof support brackets, and wherein the at least some of the plurality ofsupport brackets are connected to and supported by the cage cabinets ofthe associated cluster.
 16. The facility according to claim 15 whereinat least some of the thermal shields have a hole disposed therein thatallows for the passage of wires therethrough while being sufficientlysmall to only allow a small amount of airflow to pass therethrough. 17.The facility according to claim 14, wherein adjacent cabinet clustershaving adjacent ladder racks are aligned, and wherein at least one ofthe aligned ladder racks carry a common transmission line.
 18. Thefacility of claim 10 wherein a plurality of clusters are configured inan array of at least four clusters, with the at least four clusterssharing a common cold aisle, two clusters on one side of the common coldaisle and another two clusters on another side of the common cold aisle,and wherein the hot air enclosure area of each of the two clusters arealigned and parallel to the common cold aisle, and wherein the hot airenclosure area of each of the another two clusters are aligned andparallel to the common cold aisle.
 19. The facility according to claim10 wherein the warm air escape channel is further bounded at a top by anupper ceiling, and wherein a distance between the upper ceiling and theceiling is 15 feet.
 20. The facility according to claim 10, wherein thethermal shield for each of the plurality of clusters is fanned from aplurality of thermal shield plates that are each supported by a thermalshield support beam disposed on at least some of the plurality ofsupport brackets.
 21. The facility according to claim 10, furtherincluding a thermal barrier at an end of each of the two separated rowscabinet cages in each of the plurality of clusters, thereby maintaininga contiguous sealed barrier, other than where the two separated rows ofcabinet cages are disposed, around the hot aisle enclosure area of eachassociated cluster, thereby further ensuring that substantially all theheated air within the hot aisle enclosure area rises up within the warmexhaust channel.
 22. The facility according to claim 21, wherein each ofthe at least one thermal barriers includes a door that permits accessinto the hot aisle enclosure area of the associated cluster.
 23. Thefacility according to claim 1, further including a thermal barrier at anend of each of the two separated rows cabinet cages of the at least onecluster, thereby maintaining a contiguous sealed barrier, other thanwhere the two separated rows of cabinet cages are disposed, around thehot aisle enclosure area, thereby further ensuring that substantiallyall the heated air within the hot aisle enclosure area rises up withinthe warm exhaust channel.
 24. The facility according to claim 23,wherein at least one thermal barrier includes a door that permits accessinto the hot aisle enclosure area.
 25. A facility for maintainingelectronic equipment disposed in at least one cluster of cage cabinetsat a cool temperature using a plurality of air conditioning units, theat least one cluster of cage cabinets positioned in a back-to-backconfiguration in two separated rows so that the electronic equipmentdisposed therein emit heated air in a predetermined direction from thecage cabinets to establish a hot aisle enclosure area between the twoseparated rows of cage cabinets, and an opposite side of the cagecabinets thereby establishing a cold aisle, the plurality of airconditioning units receiving heated air and emitting cooled air, thefacility comprising: a floor on which the plurality of cage cabinets aredisposed, wherein the at least one cluster of cage cabinets is disposedin the two separated rows to establish the hot aisle enclosure area, thehot aisle enclosure area is free from obstruction thereby allowing airflow between cage cabinets in the two separated rows of cage cabinets,the floor being within a space that has walls that define a room; aplurality of support brackets disposed along the two rows of the atleast one cluster of cage cabinets, so that a portion of the supportbracket is disposed above the at least one cluster of cage cabinets; athermal shield supported by the portion of at least some of theplurality of support brackets, the thermal shield providing a contiguouswall around a hot air area above the hot aisle enclosure area at aheight above the two separated rows of cage cabinets to define a warmair exhaust channel that traps the heated air within the hot aisleenclosure area and causes substantially all the heated air within thehot aisle enclosure area to rise up within the warm air exhaust channel,wherein the contiguous wall fully surrounds the hot aisle enclosure areafrom above the at least one cluster of cage cabinets and the contiguouswall contacts the top of the cabinet cages to enclose the warm exhaustchannel; a thermal barrier ceiling separating the cold aisle from athermal barrier ceiling separating the cold aisle from a warm air escapechannel, the thermal barrier ceiling disposed above the warm air exhaustchannel such that the thermal barrier ceiling forms the bottom of thewarm air escape channel and the top of the cold aisle, the thermalbarrier ceiling having an opening to the warm air exhaust channelthrough which heated air, from the warm air exhaust channel, flows intothe warm air escape channel to thereby feed the heated air to theplurality of air conditioning units, wherein the warm air escape channelis bounded at a bottom by the thermal barrier ceiling thereby forming abarrier which prevents the heated air from passing therebelow into thecold aisle, wherein a top edge of the thermal shield extends from theceiling the thermal barrier ceiling to the cage cabinets to furtherprevent the heated air from escaping from the warm air exhaust channel;and a cool air channel that connects between the air conditioning systemand the cold aisle, the cool air channel delivering cool air from theplurality of air conditioning units to the cool aisle.